This week is not going to be easy. The board (small correction: I) will announce job losses across the entire company. We’ve done everything we can over the last few months to avoid this situation, but it’s now the only option left to avoid further damage to profits.

While it’s not the first time I’ve had to stand up and make such an announcement, it never gets easier. I’ve grown tough in my business career particularly to stand up against senior men, and to ensure my emotions never get in the way of the point I need to make. However, knowing that you need to tell people they may lose their jobs challenges my exterior ‘tough’ shield.

I’ve lost sleep already, and replayed over and over in my mind what I should say, and how to say it to attempt to soften the blow. I can’t control the current situation, but I can endeavour to limit the emotional damage where I can.

There are few things more challenging in life than knowing you could devastate the lives of those you work with, and their families. It helps that I’ve been on the receiving end of such an announcement in my early career, and ever since then knew I’d do things differently if I ever had to.

The announcement I received all those years ago was delivered by a male executive in a cold, matter-of-fact and without any evidence of empathy for those people affected.

When the board discussed making the announcement, it was clear that some of my board colleagues haven’t had to make or experience such an announcement. Some of the men were of course willing to make the announcement on the basis that seemingly, this wasn’t a difficult job to do. “Just tell them and leave the room,” they said.

I asked them if they’d ever received such a message before, or if they could understand what it might be like to go home to a wife or husband and tell them their job and livelihood could be affected. It was clear my colleagues hadn’t chosen to think through their upcoming actions.

I decided then that I should be the one to make the announcement. I don’t have the perfect approach in my head as to how I’ll do it, and I’ve rehearsed numerous times what to say. No matter what and how I deliver this unfortunate message, emotions will still run high in the room but knowing that I can take questions, and demonstrate genuine empathy in the situation makes the task a little more bearable.

It also helps to know the announcement could be made by any one of my male colleagues in exactly the straightforward manner of my past. At least I have saved our workforce from that small fate.

The next job I have is to teach some of my (male) colleagues a few lessons in empathy, awareness and perception. It’s my belief a woman is best placed to help men understand these traits in the workplace but that said, this task could be a whole lot harder than the announcement I need to make this week.